ITK Daily | April 19
Veto, 12-person Jury, Germany, Jerry Seinfeld, Japanese Stars, plus 1,000 more actionable insights.
ITK Daily is geopolitical business news + intelligence for comms pros.
Always Be Communicating.
Happy Friday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily:
*** Globalization + Geopolitics ***
+ America’s House of Representatives will vote on additional aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan on Saturday.
AP: US and UK issue new sanctions on Iran in response to Tehran’s weekend attack on Israel
WP: After Iran’s attack on Israel, now fears over escalation at Lebanese border
FT: Iran warns of shift in nuclear stance if Israel threatens atomic sites
WP: US vetoes UN resolution to grant full member status to Palestinian state
US vetoes Palestinian bid for recognition as full UN member state: NYT reports the move blocked a resolution to support a status that Palestinians have long sought at the UN, where it is considered a “nonmember observer state.”
White House makes push for historic deal to forge Saudi-Israel ties: WP reports the long-shot plan offers President Biden the chance of a significant diplomatic breakthrough in the middle of his re-election campaign.
Israel under pressure to justify its use of AI in Gaza: Politico reports in Washington, however, scrutiny of Israel’s use of AI warfare appears to be low on the priority list.
‘Lavender’: The AI machine directing Israel’s bombing spree in Gaza: The Israeli army has marked tens of thousands of Gazans as suspects for assassination, using an AI targeting system with little human oversight and a permissive policy for casualties. +972
Middle East on brink of full-scale conflict, UN head says: DW reports UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the ongoing war Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Iran's attack on Israel could result in a "full-scale regional conflict."
China’s cities are sinking below sea level, study finds: NYT reports development and groundwater pumping are causing land subsidence and heightening the risks of sea level rise.
Nikkei: China welcomes Blinken's upcoming visit as tensions with US simmer
+ Blinken will depart on April 23 for a four-day trip to China
Bloomberg: TikTok faces Washington reckoning as divest-or-ban vote nears
+ Johnson to include measure in aid package for Ukraine, Israel
+ Biden has said he would sign bill forcing ByteDance to divest
The Hill: Senate Republicans call for investigation into Temu app
Nikkei: Japan's Kishida to visit Brazil, Paraguay in overture to Global South
Burns: Ukraine could lose by end of 2024: Politico reports the stark warning from a top administration official comes as Kyiv worries about Russia’s looming summer offensive.
Ukraine warns of WW3 ahead of long-stalled Congress aid vote: BBC reports Ukraine's prime minister has told the BBC there will be a "Third World War" if Ukraine loses its conflict with Russia, as he urged the US Congress to pass a long-stalled foreign aid bill.
Ukraine cannot fight evil with empty hands: The trapped US funds are the difference between life and death for many of us. Oleksandra Matviichuk
Ukrainian authorities are worried about online disinformation: Le Monde reports the Telegram app, which has become invaluable for staying updated on the war, is also being used by Russia to fuel the anxieties and divisions in Ukrainian society.
Poland arrests suspect in ‘plot to assassinate Zelensky’: The Times reports Russian spy was exploring security weaknesses at airport used by Ukrainian president, prosecutors say.
Germany detains two over alleged plotting of attacks in complicity with Russia: Politico reports the suspects targeted military infrastructure and industrial sites in Germany as well as facilities of the US forces, according to German prosecutors.
Frozen Russian assets will soon pay for Ukraine’s war: Economist reports America now hopes to convince others to make better use of the stash.
The Baltic balancing act over the threat from Russia FT
Russia declares German foundation 'undesirable': DW reports Moscow has blacklisted the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, a free-market think-tank as "undesirable," essentially banning it. The organization said it was a sign of Russia's "threat to civil and human rights."
Rishi Sunak’s approval rating has fallen to the same low as Jeremy Corbyn’s did when he was Labour leader — a joint record low for a leader of a major party, according to an Ipsos poll for the Evening Standard.
+ The same poll gave the Tories their lowest overall numbers for the 45 years Ipsos has been polling.
Brits have to be 70 before they become more likely to vote Conservative over Labour — up from 39 at the last election, according to a JL Partners poll for Bloomberg.
Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell charged with embezzlement: The Times reports Peter Murrell, the party’s former chief executive, was questioned at Falkirk police station for more than nine hours by detectives investigating the party’s finances.
Liz Truss: ‘I don’t believe in guardrails’: Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister on being ejected from office, the need for radical economic remedies — and her battle with the ‘deep state.’ FT
UK is falling behind US in the race for AI, BOE’s Haskel says: Bloomberg reports US software investment as a share of GDP doubled to 4% between 2015 and 2023, while stagnating around 2% in the UK over the same period.
Bulgaria will hold its sixth vote in three years, as a governing coalition collapsed.
Bloomberg: Microsoft’s $13 billion OpenAI deal to avoid formal EU probe
+ Regulators don’t see evidence of Microsoft controlling OpenAI
+ Formal probe could have risked EU order to unwind the tie-up
Mexico, strong-armed by the US, will stop incentivizing Chinese EV production: Building cars in Mexico is a way for Chinese automakers to avoid US tariffs. FC
*** US Politics + Elections ***
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. officially qualified for the ballot in Michigan, a key battleground state that could prove pivotal in deciding the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
The Times: Fifteen Kennedy family members back Joe Biden in blow to RFK Jr
Student loans, steel tariffs, protected land: Biden courts key constituencies: NYT reports President Biden’s campaign has featured initiatives aimed at young people, union workers and environmentalists, but it is not clear that they will be sufficient to earn support.
Should US steelworkers fear a Japanese takeover? Biden and a powerful union say ‘yes’: FT reports the USW has inserted itself into the election, US-China relations and a $14.9bn cross-border deal.
Chinese exports are threatening Biden’s industrial agenda: NYT reports President Biden is increasingly hitting back with tariffs and other measures meant to restrict imports, raising tensions with Beijing.
The White House has a new trade weapon against China: Biden’s climate envoy just foreshadowed the end of the WTO as the US rewrites international rules to limit both carbon emissions and Chinese dominance of key industries. Liam Denning
WSJ: Trump’s hush-money trial has a 12-person jury, rebounding after hiccups
Trump deploys favorite political tool, social media, as legal cudgel: WP reports behind the scenes, researchers working for Trump’s legal defense are scouring prospective jurors’ online lives, hunting for bias.
Be a wary reader in the 2024 election: Disinformation from Russia and China is evolving and has even spread to Capitol Hill. Karl Rove
The Pentagon wants to give defense startups a chance: A former Apple executive is expanding the office in charge of nurturing aspiring military contractors. Bloomberg
San Francisco sued Oakland in a federal court Thursday over the latter city’s plan to rename its airport San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.
*** Disruption + Innovation ***
The AI hype bubble is deflating. Now comes the hard part. The tech industry got the world’s attention with AI. Now it’s busy convincing people to pay for it. WP
The AI race is generating a dual reality: US tech giants may dominate but they won’t have it all their own way. John Thornhill
Generative AI’s refusal to produce ‘controversial’ content can create echo chambers: In a recent report, we found that generative AI has important shortcomings regarding freedom of expression and access to information. FC
Meta releases latest AI model, seeking to build out rival to ChatGPT: WSJ reports the social-media company is unveiling Llama 3, a follow-up to its large language model that will be available to the public.
Meta unveils less ‘sanctimonious’ AI model as tech rivalry heats up: FT reports Facebook parent claims Llama 3 takes a fresh step towards human-level intelligence.
Meta releases beefed-up AI models: AFP reports Meta on Thursday introduced an improved AI assistant built on new versions of its open source "Llama" large language model for powering the technology.
Meta, in its biggest AI push, places smart assistants across its apps: Users of Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger will be able to turn to the new technology, powered by Meta’s latest artificial intelligence model, to obtain information and complete tasks. NYT
Bloomberg: Google consolidates teams with aim to create AI products faster
+ Research group moved under flagship science unit DeepMind
+ CEO alludes to employee protest over AI contract with Israel
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said Thursday that with the help of AI scientists will likely “understand most diseases” in the next three to five years, in what will be a “first for humans on the planet.”
Fortune: ‘Cesspool of AI crap’ or smash hit? LinkedIn’s AI-powered Collaborative Articles offer a sobering peek at the future of content
AI’s ability to write for us—and our inability to resist ‘The Button’—will spark a crisis of meaning in creative work Ethan Mollick
Bloomberg: AI-driven power demand is set to jump 900% in Chicago area, Exelon CEO says
+ Artificial intelligence is transforming electric grids
+ Power availability starting to to limit new data center builds
Carlyle sees a cash cow in AI electricity boom.
Micron will receive $6.1 billion to build semiconductor plants: NYT reports the grant to the memory chipmaker is the latest federal award aimed at boosting US chip manufacturing.
Companies must rethink how they handle cyber risk: As threats morph, the cultural objections to working with the government need to change too. Gillian Tett
Inside Amazon’s secret operation to gather intel on rivals: Staff went undercover on Walmart, eBay, and other marketplaces as a third-party seller called “Big River.” The mission: to scoop up information on pricing, logistics and other business practices. WSJ
Nordstrom family weighing taking retailer private: WSJ reports the department-store chain formed a special board committee and tapped bankers to consider a potential bid.
FC: Starbucks’ latest sustainability push: Cold drink cups will have 20% less plastic
Electric car sales stall in Germany: The Times reports take-up in Europe’s largest market falls by 29 percent as motorists resist change to green models.
To beat China EVs on cost, Honda supplier and ArcelorMittal look beyond gigacasting: Nikkei reports G-Tekt wants to give Japan automakers edge with steel-based production method
Nikkei: Boeing aims to bring flying cars to Asia by 2030
*** Culture ***
AI girlfriends you will date before you find the one: Finding the right chatbot to have and hold isn’t easy. WSJ
What is screen time doing to children? Demands grow to restrict young people’s access to phones and social media. Economist
WP: Prince Harry, Britain’s renegade royal, now calls himself a US resident
Amsterdam’s latest effort to fight excessive tourism: No new hotels: NYT reports the city wants no more than 20 million hotel stays annually. The measure is one of multiple efforts to control the flow of visitors.
Jerry Seinfeld: The last TV billionaire? On today’s Big Take podcast: How a “show about nothing” made Seinfeld a billionaire, and why changes in the TV industry could make him one of the last. Bloomberg
*** Sport ***
Bloomberg: Nike nears eight-figure endorsement deal with basketball star Caitlin Clark
Banned for life: The new scandal in sports gambling won’t be the last: The NBA exiles a player for violating its rules on gaming. It’s hard to see this as the end of the line. Jason Gay
Why is a Formula One car rolling through DC? WP
Private equity gears up for potential National Football League investments: FT reports NFL-only funds are being set up in anticipation of potential rules that will govern institutional money in the sport.
A new class of Japanese stars is changing baseball: WSJ reports in April 1999, there were six Japanese players on Major League Baseball rosters. A quarter-century later, Japanese stars are integral parts of MLB’s story, playing prominent roles on prominent teams and commanding as much attention and money as, if not more than, North American-born stars.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
ITK Daily | April 19
